Middlemarch: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for Middlemarch by George Eliot. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17
H1. Readability score per chapter. Count
Flesch reading ease for the whole book is about 65 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
15,585 different words. On average 52 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 6,271 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
james, fred, mary, rosamond, raffles. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 14.37 words ending in 'ly' and 11.62 likely adjectives per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
'ly' words per 1,000, chapter by chapter
H5. Share of weak verbs such as "was" and "had". Count
'Was', 'were', 'had', 'is' and 'are' make up 3.9% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 7.5% of sentences use a passive form such as 'was taken'. (rough estimate from word lists)
H7. Variety of sentence openings. Count
The five most common first words start 29% of sentences: i, but, he, the, it.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| i | 1763 |
| but | 958 |
| he | 911 |
| the | 614 |
| it | 613 |
| and | 540 |
| she | 493 |
| casaubon | 464 |
| you | 429 |
| mr | 289 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.8 of its mean on average (higher means a more varied rhythm).
Variation per chapter, chapter by chapter
H9. Similes and metaphors: how many, and of what kind. Both
482 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 1.51 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 6: Some have felt that these blundering lives are due to the inconvenient indefiniteness with which the Supreme Power has fashioned the natures of women: if there were one …
Ch 2, para 2: Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress. Her hand and wrist were so finely formed that she could …
Ch 2, para 5: And how should Dorothea not marry?—a girl so handsome and with such prospects? Nothing could hinder it but her love of extremes, and her insistence on regulating life …
Ch 2, para 7: Yet those who approached Dorothea, though prejudiced against her by this alarming hearsay, found that she had a charm unaccountably reconcilable with it. Most men thought her bewitching …
Ch 2, para 21: The casket was soon open before them, and the various jewels spread out, making a bright parterre on the table. It was no great collection, but a few …
Ch 2, para 35: “How very beautiful these gems are!” said Dorothea, under a new current of feeling, as sudden as the gleam. “It is strange how deeply colors seem to penetrate …
Middlemarch uses similes and metaphors extensively, often comparing inner states to natural phenomena or physical sensations. Examples include Dorothea's flame burning up light fuel (c1), marriage as a test revealing true nature (c5-c6), and financial debt as a corrupting force (c13-c14).
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 21
Her flame quickly burned up that light fuel; and, fed from within, soared after some illimitable satisfaction (Ch 1, para 4)
Marriage, which was to bring guidance into worthy and imperative occupation, had not yet freed her from the gentlewoman’s oppressive liberty: it had not even filled her leisure with the ruminant joy of unchecked tenderness. (Ch 29, para 6)
There was gathering within him an amazed sense of his powerlessness over Rosamond (Ch 59, para 29)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 58%, touch 20%, sound 18%, taste 4%, smell 1%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 1878 |
| touch | 635 |
| sound | 596 |
| taste | 125 |
| smell | 19 |
Sight dominates: characters observe each other's expressions, dress, and bearing constantly. Sound appears in dialogue and music (Rosamond's piano). Touch conveys emotion in embraces and hand-holding. Smell and taste are minimal; the book privileges visual and auditory perception.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 12, Ch 17, Ch 28, Ch 44
Mr. Casaubon turned his eyes very markedly on Dorothea while she was speaking, and seemed to observe her newly (Ch 3, para 9)
She is grace itself; she is perfectly lovely and accomplished. That is what a woman ought to be: she ought to produce the effect of exquisite music (Ch 12, para 2)
A hidden soul seemed to be flowing forth from Rosamond’s fingers; and so indeed it was, since souls live on in perpetual echoes (Ch 17, para 40)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
170 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.53 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three appear frequently: three love problems (title), three main couples (Dorothea-Will, Lydgate-Rosamond, Fred-Mary), three temptations (Book VII). Repetition of key phrases like 'marriage as test' and 'hidden secrets' threads through the narrative structure.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 29, Ch 43, Ch 59
Many Theresas have been born who found for themselves no epic life wherein there was a constant unfolding of far-resonant action (Ch 1, para 5)
Marriage, which was to bring guidance into worthy and imperative occupation, had not yet freed her from the gentlewoman’s oppressive liberty: it had not even filled her leisure with the ruminant joy of unchecked tenderness. (Ch 29, para 6)
It is that you will let me know, deliberately, whether, in case of my death, you will carry out my wishes: whether you will avoid doing what I should deprecate, and apply yourself to do what I should desire. (Ch 49, para 23)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: nay, art, thy, hath, thou, thither.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| nay | 34 |
| art | 27 |
| thy | 13 |
| hath | 8 |
| thou | 7 |
| thither | 6 |
| doth | 6 |
| whence | 5 |
| thee | 3 |
| methinks | 1 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
The narrator frequently tells rather than shows, offering direct commentary on characters' inner lives and moral states. Yet key moments like Dorothea's disillusionment in Rome (c21) and the chapel scene (c84) are shown in scene. The balance shifts toward showing in later chapters.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 30, Ch 43, Ch 48
One morning, some weeks after her arrival at Lowick, Dorothea—but why always Dorothea? Was her point of view the only possible one with regard to this marriage? (Ch 30, para 2)
She knows that I know,” said the ever-restless voice within; but that increase of tacit knowledge only thrust further off any confidence between them. (Ch 45, para 17)
The presence of a noble nature, generous in its wishes, ardent in its charity, changes the lights for us (Ch 77, para 14)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description often precedes action, especially in establishing settings and characters. Chapters 2 to 4 describe Dorothea's idealism before her engagement. However, dialogue and action frequently interrupt description, creating a mixed rhythm rather than long descriptive blocks.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 8, Ch 10, Ch 12
Her mind was theoretic, and yearned by its nature after some lofty conception of the world which might frankly include the parish of Tipton (Ch 2, para 2)
Dorothea, on the contrary, found the house and grounds all that she could wish: the dark book-shelves in the long library (Ch 10, para 6)
Marriage, which was to bring guidance into worthy and imperative occupation, had not yet freed her from the gentlewoman’s oppressive liberty: it had not even filled her leisure with the ruminant joy of unchecked tenderness. (Ch 29, para 6)
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 5.05 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| thought | 408 |
| felt | 367 |
| seemed | 344 |
| knew | 174 |
| saw | 157 |
| heard | 112 |
| noticed | 21 |
| wondered | 17 |
| watched | 16 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from ironic and detached in early chapters to increasingly sympathetic and tragic in later ones. The narrator's voice moves from gentle mockery of provincial society to deep compassion for characters' suffering, especially Lydgate's and Dorothea's struggles.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 11, Ch 27, Ch 43, Ch 59, Ch 72
Middlemarch, in fact, counted on swallowing Lydgate and assimilating him very comfortably. (Ch 16, para 29)
One morning, some weeks after her arrival at Lowick, Dorothea—but why always Dorothea? Was her point of view the only possible one with regard to this marriage? (Ch 30, para 2)
People glorify all sorts of bravery except the bravery they might show on behalf of their nearest neighbors. (Ch 73, para 11)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy arises from social pretension and misunderstanding: Mrs. Cadwallader's scheming, Mr. Brooke's political incompetence, and townspeople's gossip. The narrator gently mocks characters' self-deceptions while maintaining sympathy. Humour decreases as the novel darkens.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 7, Ch 11, Ch 39, Ch 40, Ch 52
A great bladder for dried peas to rattle in! (Ch 7, para 62)
Middlemarch, in fact, counted on swallowing Lydgate and assimilating him very comfortably. (Ch 16, para 29)
It is frightful—this taking to buying whistles and blowing them in everybody’s hearing. (Ch 39, para 4)
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